South Brook thieves heist entire ATM

Thieves in the western Newfoundland community of South Brook made off with not only money, but the bank machine too.

Springdale RCMP said three men pried open the front door of Eddy's Restaurant and Gas Bar early Wednesday morning, hoisted an ATM into the back of a pickup truck, and then took off down the highway.

The truck was last seen headed east on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Wallace McKay, the owner of Eddy's, said he discovered what had happened around 6 a.m.

The events have shaken his confidence about carrying on with the store.

"It has dire consequences," he said. "You have to sit down and re-evaluate why you're in business."

This is the third time McKay has dealt with his store being robbed.

He said on the security tape three men can be seen using a crowbar to open the door. Once they enter they tip the machine on its side and the men carry it off within a coupe of minutes. This causes McKay to think that the men were professionals who knew what they were doing.

The ATM was not bolted to the floor because McKay has heard of cases where that hasn't stopped thieves anyway.

He said that there may be some visuals of the suspects' faces in the security footage, but he's leaving it to the police to handle the investigation.

McKay wants to let the professionals investigate, while he focuses on getting everything back in order at his store.

"Thinking about getting everything repaired and getting the business up and running for the customers," he said.

McKay said that he is on the hook for the cost of the ATM, the money that was in it, and the cost to repair the damages from the break and enter.

He said the ATM may cost $5,000 to $6,000 and the repairs will be another $600 to $700. He does not yet know how much money was inside the ATM.